Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe with Pumpkin Foam

Nothing says fall like a pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks. For us, there are few things that rival walking down Main Street U.S.A with coffee in hand. The smells, the sights, the coffee… it’s pure bliss really. Fall at Walt Disney World is always magical, so why not add a little bit of Disney Halloween magic at home.  We discovered the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew during last year’s fall trip to Walt Disney World and knew we needed that kind of joy in our lives at this moment. Who doesn’t? So we set out on a mission to create a Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew copycat recipe. Luckily, it turned out pretty great, so now we make a batch of our own Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew every fall.

Let me start by saying, this recipe was harder to master than it seemed! From the flavor to the texture, it was a little tricky. But now we can now enjoy Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew while sitting out on our patio, listening to the sights and sounds of Magic Kingdom on YouTube or just strolling around the neighborhood pretending every pumpkin we see is Mickey shaped. It’s fine, right? 

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Supplies

To get started, make sure you have the right supplies to make Cold Brew and Foam. For this we usually cold brew our own coffee in a pitcher or mason jar the day before. But you could just use a store bought cold brew coffee, if you prefer. And of course you will need a frother. A handheld frother or frother machine is perfect to get the foam light and airy.

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Ingredients

What do you need to make Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew? Not a lot actually! Pumpkin Syrup, Cold Brew, Vanilla Syrup, Milk of your choice, and Pumpkin Pie Spice. We created our own pumpkin syrup for this recipe, but you can also purchase a pumpkin syrup or sauce if you don’t want to make it yourself. To put it all together, here’s what you’ll need. 

Cold Brew Coffee

For your cold brew, you’ll have a lot of options. You can purchase your favorite cold brew at the grocery store or make some at home. We like the Starbucks Cold Brew Pitcher Packs or the Concentrate because both are super simple, budget friendly and taste great.  You can also make cold brew using a French Press, which is really easy; but you can see how to do that here if you’re not familiar with the process. 

Pumpkin Syrup Recipe

We started by making a pumpkin syrup. This pumpkin syrup is so easy to make and so delicious. And it can be used in a lot of things, which is great! Put it in your coffee, cocoa, use it to flavor whipped cream… I could go on. Leave it up to your imagination! The pumpkin syrup just uses five ingredients: water, sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. After you make the syrup, you can set is aside in a mason jar or other container and leave it un the fridge until you are ready to use it. We love also using this in things like Pumpkin spice Chai. You’ll want it to be cold when you mix it in the foam anyway. 

Pumpkin Syrup Ingredients

• 1 c. water
• 1 c. sugar
• 4 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions for making Pumpkin Syrup

1. Add all ingredients to small saucepan
2. On medium heat, heat up all ingredients until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally until all ingredients are combined.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Store in mason jar or other container in refrigerator until ready to use

Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Recipe

Finally, the trickiest part of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is the Pumpkin Cold Foam. Truly, you can use whatever milk you want for this foam. But if you want the most luxurious Pumpkin Cold Foam with pretty close to perfect texture, it’s a little more complicated than that.  We were on a mission to perfect this part of it. Since the Pumpkin Cold Foam is basically the reason we get the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, we wanted it to be as close to Starbucks’ version as possible. 

Pumpkin Flavored Cream Ingredients

• 1-2 tsp. Vanilla Syrup (we like Torani vanilla syrup  you can get at Target or Amazon)
• 1/2 c. Milk of Choice (we like 1/4c. Half and Half and 1/4. Heavy Whipping Cream)

Instructions for Making Pumpkin Cream

1. Mix 1/4c. Half and Half and 1/4. Heavy Whipping Cream into a mixing cup, preferably with a spout
2. Add 1-2 tsp of Vanilla Syrup 
3. Froth with a handheld frother, until it foams, and slightly holds its form

What kind of Milk Can I use?

We tried whole milk, 2% milk, Oat Milk, Almond Milk, Heavy Cream and Half and Half as well as a variety of frothers and mixers before deciding we were happy with our foam. In the end, we used a mix of half and half and heavy cream and a super simple handheld frother to get that foamy goodness we all love. 

If you’re looking for a non dairy option, we’ve used this special Barista edition of oat milk that has always given us great results and it’s gluten free! One thing to keep in mind when choosing your milk is that the higher the fat content, the fluffier your foam will be. So if you’re using a lower fat milk or milk alternative, just know that getting the texture close to Starbucks’ might be a challenge. 

Cold Foam Tips 

Now the tricky part is getting that lovely, cloud like foam to top your cold brew. There are a few tips you need to keep in mind here.

1. First, even if you don’t think cold brew needs ice (it doesn’t, right?), in this case, it does. The ice will help create that beautiful layer of foam and keep it from falling too quickly into the cold brew. 
2. Secondly, mixing your milk to the right consistency is what will make or break this Pumpkin cold foam.  That’s why we chose the mixture of half and half and heavy cream; but regardless of what you use, you need to froth it until it’s almost at a soft peak stage to ensure that it’s nice and fluffy. 
3. If you choose not to use the combination of milks that we did, using a stand mixer with a whisk, or using a food processor can usually whip enough air to create a nice cloud of foam. Using solely heavy cream is probably your best bet if you’re not into having a lot of extra ingredients, but be careful not to over whip the foam because then you’ll end up with something more like whipped cream. Although still delicious, it’s not really what we are going for in this recipe.

Patience is really the key here, especially if you are using a frother with a little less power. Some milks, especially those with lower fat content as mentioned before, can take a long time to whip up. This Keurig Frother takes only 60 seconds and is truly a good investment if you love lattes; but if you’re using a nontraditional frother, it may take a bit longer. 

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe

When you’re ready to put it all together, it’s pretty simple! Just add ice to the glass of your choice, pour in the cold brew and vanilla syrup and top with foam! We like extra foam on ours of course, so feel free to add as much as you’d like.  

• 8 oz Cold Brew Coffee 
• 4 tbsp. Pumpkin Syrup (recipe below or you can Torani Pumpkin Pie Syrup)
• Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam ( recipe below)
• Ice 
• Pumpkin Pie Spice for topping

Instructions for Making Cold Brew

After everything is made, it’s as simple as assembling it all, layered in a glass.

• Fill glass halfway with ice
• Pour cold brew over ice
• Add vanilla syrup and stir
• Froth your milk and pumpkin syrup together to desired consistency, ideally right before soft peak stage
• Pour foam on top of cold brew

We hope you guys enjoy this recipe! Our Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Copycat has been giving us a little something to look forward to while staying home and we’ve been loving the fall flavors while it’s still seasonally appropriate 🙂